Chapter Five - Languages

Chapter 5 — To what Extent have Urdu and Regional Languages contributed to the Cultural
Development of Pakistan?
1. Introduction and History.
- national language = brings about uniformity and cultural identity, increases understanding of what a nation
believes in
- many languages are spoken in Pakistan, but Urdu is the national language
- since Islam spread to the subcontinent = many different languages have been used, i.e. Arabian, Turkish…
- Persian = greatest impact; used to be the official language in the court of Delhi; SWU translated the
Quran into Persian; most books were in Persian (Amir Khusrau, etc.); used widely by poets and writers;
Sanskrit books translated into Persian; used for day-to-day communication; even Hindus used it.
2. Urdu.
• why was Urdu chosen as the national language?

- considered the language of Muslims in South Asia
- combination of Persian, Turkish and Arabic with the local dialects of Delhi
- started in the North-West of India, but spread all across the subcontinent
- end of 13th century = used uniformly by Muslim armies, as it was easily understood
- went through many stages of development to become what it is today, and spread as Muslims travelled.
—————————
- rich literary background = poetry in Urdu was prevalent
- Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) = played an important role in its development
- Emperor Muhammad Shah and Bahadur Shah Zafar promoted it
- famous poets then = Mir, Sauda, Dard and Ghalib
- Aligarh Muslim University (center for Urdu edu.) = talented poets = Hasrat Mohani, Majaz, Jazbi…
- famous poets now = Allama Iqbal, Nazir Ahmad, Muhammad Hussain Azad, Allama Shibli…
——————————
- linked to Islam = spread Urdu even more
- translation of the Holy Quran into Urdu by Shah Abdul Qadir (son of SWU)
- many religious books were translated into Urdu = further developed unity amongst Muslims
——————————
- 20th century = Urdu helped in the struggle for Independence
- Muslim League = aimed to protect the rights of Muslims, but also Urdu as a language for Muslim unity
- British = made English the official language in administration and education, but some schools still
promoted Urdu and showed active interest in the language
——————————
- 1857 = British stopped promoting Urdu and instead turned towards Hindi
- Urdu = main language in Muslim-dominated provinces, but Hindus protested to make Hindi the main one
- SAK = set up a society to protect Urdu
- Hindi-Urdu controversy = strongly damaged Hindu-Muslim relations
——————————
- showed how Urdu was disregarded by non-Muslims
- not all Muslims supported Urdu either
- Bengal = some people wanted to make Bengali the national language, as Bengal made up most of
Pakistan’s population until 1971
- 1948 = protests in Dhaka led to arrests || 1952 = use of tear gas to scatter student protesters
- led to the civil war in 1971 = establishment of Bangladesh.
——————————
- Urdu = officially recognized as the National Language of Pakistan, though Punjabi is used the most
- Urdu survived, and was later promoted by Quaid-e-Azam = link language between provinces
- government = started moving away from English and incorporating Urdu more in daily elements, i.e.
medium of language in Matric, radios, dictionaries, TV, plays, films, novels, poetry, magazines,
newspapers…
3. Sindhi.
- ancient language, goes back to the 12th century

- before the arrival of Muslims = written in ‘Marwari’ and ‘Arz Nagari’
- once Arabs settled = Arab words got incorporated into Sindhi, which was now written in the Arabic script
- 8th century = Muslims settled in Sindh, where Sindhi (ppl) & Arabic (admin.) were both active languages
- continued until Turkish tribes brought Persian
- Sindhi = combination of Arabic and Persian
- famous poets = Makhdum Nuh of Hala, Qazi Qazan of Thatta
- Sindh literature peaked = b/w 1050-1300, and b/w 1685-1783
- famous poets (2) = Sachal Sarmast and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai
- Ta’alim Alkhashaf-o-Tauheed = journal that helped the development of Sindhi
- 1948 = Sindhi Literature Board = printed and promoted books and magazines in Sindhi
- important authors = Pir Ali Muhammad Rashdi, Faqir Nabi Bux and G. Allana
- Sarmast Academy, Sindhiology department, books on Sindhi folk literature, Bazm-e-Talib-ul-Muala, etc.
4. Balochi.
- spoken in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province || two main kinds = Sulemanki and Mekrani
- Balochi brought by tribes from North-West Iran, who were Nomadic
- little development in Balochi development; mainly an oral language
- poet = Jam Darang || early Balochi poetry abundant with folk songs
- 1830 = Balochi became known through the “Journal of Asiatic Society” of the British traveller, W. Leech
- before partition = very few books and magazines in Balochi; Balochi Gazetteer was published in English
- after partition = broadcasts, magazines, TV shows in Balochi; better literature (Atta Shad, Ishaq Shamin)
5. Punjabi.
- spoken in Punjab, the most populated province of Pakistan + Azad Kashmir and KPK
- easily understood language; used to be called “Masoodi”, “Al-Hindi” and “Hindko”
- 1080 = called Punjabi by Hafiz Barkhurdar
- originally written in Gurmukhi script, but switched to Arabic script after the Mughals
- combination of Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish and English
- different Punjabi dialects; Punjabi influenced by Sindhi and Pashto in the West of Punjab
- early literature = folk tales, mystic literature, Sufi poets (Heer-Ranjha, Sassi-Punnu, Sohni-Mahiwal, etc.)
- 20th century = novels, short stories, dramas; books on Academic subjects (Law, Medicine, History,
Philosophy…)
- Punjabi poetry = ghazal, nazam, etc
- translation of the Quran into Punjabi by M. Ali Faiq
- literature expanding, both in terms of content and form
- Punjabi is now taught up to MA level at the University of Punjab
- famous poets now = Bullay Shah, Waris Shah, Baba Farid, Ganj Shakar…
- famously writers = Munir Niazi, Sharif Kunjahi, Ahmed Rahi…
- music = Noor Jahan, Arif Lohar
6. Pashto.
- spoken in KPK, northern Balochistan and FATA; Karachi has 7 million Pashtun
- combination of Arabic, Persian and Greek
- first period of Pashto literature = 2nd-13th century; Amir Khan & Bayazid Ansari; Kahir-ul-Bian (sufism)
- second period = 13th-14th century; Mughal invasions; peak of Pashto prose; Hazrat Mian Umar, Saadat
Ali Khan, Amir Muhammad Ansari
- third period = establishment of British rule; golden age of Pashto lit. ; Akhund Dardeeza & Rehman Baba
- Pashto literature = important role in the struggle against the British and for Independence
- Sahibzada Abdul Qayum = strived to bring political awareness in NWFP and set up the Islamia College
- Islamia College = study of Pashto; united people; became the center of the Freedom Movement in KPK
- after Independence = Peshawar University established + academy for Pashto literature (1954) headed by
Maulana Abdul Qadir + Pashto dictionary
- to this day = post-graduate classes of Pashto literature; compulsory in all KPK gov. schools + exams

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Chapter Five - Languages

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Chapter 5 — To what Extent have Urdu and Regional Languages contributed to the Cultural

1. Introduction and History.

• why was Urdu chosen as the national language?

- ancient language, goes back to the 12th century

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